John l



UNITEDl STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. BRABYN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LATI-I FOR BUILDINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17 ,5.50, dated June` 16, 1857.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. BRABYAgof the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lathing the Vv'allsand Ceilings of Buildings Preparatory to Plastering the Same, the use ofwhich is calculated to lessen the expense of plastering both by thesaving of labor and material; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of my said improvement, referencebeing had to the drawings accompany ing and making part of thisspecification.

My improvement consists in the manner of preparing and applying thelaths, and first in preparing them I form a groove or slot in one orboth edges of the lath, by cutting out a certain portion of one side inthe form of a half dovetail, or any other shape, so that when combinedwith its fellow or when two grooved edges, or one grooved and one plainedge are placed together there shall be formed an interstice -or groovein the form of a dovetail or its equivalent for the purpose of holdingthe plastering material firmly to its place when crowded or pressed intothe interstices so formed. That portion of the lath which remains offull width which will always form the back side when properly laid, willconstitute a solid support for the mortar, thus preventing it frompressing through between the laths, as is always the case where theinterstices are formed by laying the lath with a space between them, andallowing the mortar to form a clench behind the laths. In the im provedmethod above described, the clench is formed by the groove in the lathbeing widest at the back, and this groove and the solid support for themortar are both formed by or in the laths and entirely independent ofthe wall or ceiling to which they are fastened, the laths being laidwith close joints at the back instead of a certain distance apart as inthe old method. By this arrangement it will be readily perceived thatalthough the lathing may be furred ofi' as it is termed, yet no extraquantity of mort-ar will be required, as the mortar does not pressthrough and fall down behind the wall, but simply fills up the groovesprovided in the lathing. l

Another advantage will readily be per; ceived, that even where thelathsare applied directly upon a brick Wall without being furred off,which is often the case, the solid back of wood, formed by `the peculiarconstruction, and application of the laths, will prevent in a greatmeasure the dampness of the brick wall from .communicating wit-h theplastering as the wood is not so good a conductor of moisture as themortar itself would be.

In frame buildings a very greatadvantage is derived from the use of thisimprovement as the lathing forms a tight ceiling of itself, thuscontributing largely to the warmth of the interior of the buildings. Thefoundation of the wall being much more substantial, there is lessliability of the walls cracking, and the weight of the plasteringbeingmuch reduced there is consequently less liability of its falling off.This is of particular advantage in overhead walls, as it is frequentlythe case that large quantities of the wall come down,` simply from itsown weight when put on in the old method.

Another advantage is derived from the increased facility of laying thelaths, as no regard is to be had to the spaces between them, the edgesbeing placed tight together, and the interstices formed with mechanicaleXactness. The wall will be much more solid and firm, as the mortar canbe pressed upon the lathing with any degree of force that may bedesired, which is not the case in the old method, as the harder it ispressed the more it is forced through between the laths and wastedbehind them.

The grooves are indicated in the drawing by the letters (a a.) and theback support by the letters Z) lhat I claim aslny invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

The forming of the interstices in the form of a dovetail or itsequivalent and the back support for the mortar in the laths themselves,and entirely independent of anything that may be placed behind them, bygrooving one or both edges of the lath on end side and leaving the otherside the full width, so that when the same are in place their edgesshall join at the back side to prevent the plastering material frompressing through between the laths, the grooves forming the clenches tohold the mortar firmly in place, substantially as set forth.

JOHN L. BRABYN.

`Witnesses WILLIAM BENNETT, THQMAS L. BENHAM.r

